Although Queenstown receives over
one million tourists a year, it can hardly be described as a city, having just
9,000 permanent inhabitants. Indeed it has grown little since its establishment in the early 1860s as first a pastoral settlement and then a gold rush town.
Despite this, its attractions for visitors are immediately evident on arrival - look up to see paragliders descending into the town encircled by a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, look around to see
thrill seekers jetting about on the shimmering waters of Lake Wakatipu. Put simply, Queenstown’s
main draws are its
stunning surroundings and the astoundingly
wide selection of
adventure sports on offer within them.
The whole south island of New Zealand is blessed with many beautiful landscapes (the main reason why much of the
Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed here), but Queenstown is located in a
particularly idyllic spot on the shores of
Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by the
Remarkables and
Eyre mountain ranges.
In winter, these mountains make Queenstown a
key destination for the
world’s skiers and
snowboarders, who visit the ski fields by day and take advantage of the town’s many bars and clubs by night.
Although Queenstown has been popular with tourists for over a century, the more recent development of the adventure sports market has produced a
real boom. In 1988 the
Karawau Bridge, located just outside Queenstown, became the site of the
world’s first ever commercial
bungee jump, created by the sport’s inventor
AJ Hackett.
Today,
adrenaline junkies flock to Queenstown to take part in the many activities on offer here, and the town continues to
pioneer new extreme sports such as jet boating, canyon swinging and river boarding.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Related Queenstown Content
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related New Zealand Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
New Zealand Airport Guides:
|
New Zealand City Guides:
|
| New Zealand Attraction Guides: |
|
|
Available Tours to New Zealand:
|
